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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23795581">The Old Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>5 Seconds of Summer (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Child Abuse, Hurt!Michael, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, asshole!luke, i'm sorry but luke will be mean</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:00:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23795581</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Watch it.” Snapped a new voice from in front of Michael. He looked up to see a boy that he had never seen before, a rather attractive boy he might add. With blue eyes and a lip ring that Michael wished his parents would let him get. A boy who he had just run into.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Calum Hood/Ashton Irwin, Michael Clifford/Luke Hemmings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Old Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi, so sorry if there are any mistakes, it is 3:00 and I started writing this at 2:00 and I haven't edited it, but I am putting it out into the world. I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s not like Michael was antisocial, it’s just that he wasn’t that much of a fan of crowds or people in general. At least that’s what he tried to convince himself when he was walking to school by himself. Calum, the only person that he ever really talked to, and his best friend since childhood had texted him that morning saying that he was sick and wasn’t coming to school. Which was fine, of course. I mean Michael could make it through</span>
  <em>
    <span> one</span>
  </em>
  <span> day without Calum.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Walking through the front doors Michael was starting to feel better about himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I can totally do this, I did it before. And I can do it aga-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watch it.” Snapped a new voice from in front of Michael. He looked up to see a boy that he had never seen before, a rather attractive boy he might add. With blue eyes and a lip ring that Michael wished his parents would let him get. A boy who he had just run into.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He quickly turned to look back down at the floor when he realised he had been staring. “Sorry,” Michael murmured, cursing himself for not being brave enough to actually talk to someone for once. He looked back up again after he didn’t get a response. The blue-eyed boy was still looked at him, smirking slightly. The look just confused him more, was he doing something funny, or stupid that was worth laughing at? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was just getting up the courage to be able to ask when the bell for the first period rang. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you around,” said the boy, the words seemed kind enough. But the way the boy said it made it seem like it was something that Michael didn’t want to happen, under any circumstances.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Getting his head out of the clouds Michael hurried to first class not wanting to be late to English, one of his favourite courses. He tried to pay attention to the teacher’s analysis of Richard III, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop thinking about the boy that he had run into early that morning.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>When it was time for English to be over Michael let out a sigh of frustration, the next class was gym. Otherwise known as hell on earth. It was a bunch of boys because gym class was separated by gender. As if you didn’t already need another reason for it to be a terrible thing, and they all thought that they were going to be the next biggest sports star or something. Of course, the only way they could prove this to themself is by picking on teenagers half their size and publicly humiliating them. The whole thing reeked of toxic masculinity and testosterone. Ergo Michael was not a fan, at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite his attempts to explain to his parents why it was bad, and therefore he should not go, because to make him keep going id basically just continuing the cycle of toxic masculinity, and all that patriarchal stuff. They instead on him going. So that is why he is here, in his gym clothes that he forgot to wash over the weekend so they are slightly crusty with sweat, which makes the whole situation so much better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Calum is here, they would stand in the back of the class, talking about whatever came to mind. But when Cal wasn’t at school Michael had to socialize and find someone to be partners with. But the problem was that there was an even number of people in the class so unless someone else was sick so their partner was free then he would have to be partners with the gym coach. If you thought the kids were bad then you hadn’t mess Mr Ostro. Constantly critiquing your movements, and making you an example for everyone in the class of what not to do. Students say that a kid once changed school after he made them cry one too many times in gym.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Focusing on the real world when Mr Ostro announced it was time for roll call, Michael started to pay attention. Clifford was near the front of the alphabet to he only had to pay attention for a short while before he felt comfortable dozing off again. Accept it didn’t last long before he was brought to attention again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hemmings?” Called the teacher over the chatter of people talking about what they did over the weekend. When he got not response Mr Ostro started to get frustrated, “Luke Hemming?” He said a bit louder and with more bite behind the words. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only now it Michael realize that he had never heard that name before, and he wondered who Luke Hemmings was. He questions were soon answered when lip ring boy raised his hand, calling out, “Present.” Michael hadn’t even realized that lip ri- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luke</span>
  </em>
  <span> was in the room. He didn’t know how to feel about then when he remembered the rather menacing way they ended their last conversation. “See you around.” wasn’t an inherently mean thing to say, maybe Michael has just misinterpreted what Luke meant. Maybe he meant it in a kind way, and Michael was just overthinking it, he did have a tendency to do it. Either way, he couldn’t get out of it now, they were both stuck in this room for the next hour and a half.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After attendance was done, and Michael was still trying very hard not to look at Luke it was time for warmup. “Pair up.” yelling the teacher, getting tired of talking over all of the kids in the room. Everyone went close to their friends, like little islands in the sea of teenage body odour. Only Luke and he were still adrift, waiting for another person to be partners with. The teacher gave them a pointed look when neither of them made a move to get closer to each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hemming, Clifford. Now.” like the master of words he is Mr Ostro managed to convey a simple concept in just three words. Michael started awkwardly shuffling towards Luke, while Mr Ostro started to say the instruction. Michael almost made an attempt to listen, but gave up, knowing that even if he tried to listen he would mess it up, so what was the point. Luke still was standing there like he was to cool for school, which is a hard thing to do when you are wearing blue and yellow gym clothes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, hi, I’m, um. I’m Michael” he tries to say around his stuttering mouth. He hates it when it does that, it used to happen when he was younger, and he would get teased recently. Some time in middle school he figured it out, and now it only came out when he was really nervous. Like now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally looking at Michael, Luke gave one of the fakest smiles he had ever seen. “Hi,”. He voice seemed to match the boredom what every other part of his body was trying to convey. Without looking at Michael he walked toward to teacher who had just finished explaining the warmup. He said something to the teacher with a sheepish smile, the type of smile someone has when they know they are doing something wrong but they also know they are going to get their way. After Luke finished talking coach gives a nod and Luke walks toward the exit door. I stare at him in bewilderment, how did he manage to get out of gym? Michael himself had tried many times to get out of this hell, with no avail, but Luke does it on his first day?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Michael hadn’t noticed Mr Ostro walking up towards him, “Hemmings can’t do it today. We going to be partners.” Sighing inwardly he prepared himself for more bruises to appear tomorrow.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed it. Comments make my day so if you want to leave one that would be amazing, if not it's fine.<br/>My tumblr is @mysexualityis-idk so you can come talk to me there if you want.<br/>Hopefully the next chapter will come soon, I certainly hope so.<br/>Bye!<br/>(Also this work will have multiple chapters, but for some reason ao3 is glitching out on me, and not letting me see multiple chapters. More is coming)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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